Figures released overnight show that Japan has inched its way out of a mild recession.
But the data also suggest the economy is not out of the woods yet, with exports continuing to come under pressure.
The government said fourth quarter 2004 gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.1% compared with the three months to September. An initial estimate indicated that the economy shrank by 0.1%.
This took the annual growth rate to 0.5%, compared with an initially reported drop of 0.5%. The upward revision surprised economists.
The economy had contracted by 0.3% in both the second and third quarters, putting the country into a technical recession which the original fourth quarter figures had continued.
Q4 GDP was revised up due to higher than expected private sector inventory growth, government spending and a smaller negative contribution from slowing exports.
Separate figures today showed that Japan's current account surplus in January fell 28% from a year earlier, largely due to rising oil and other raw material prices. Exports rose 3.3%, but imports jumped nearly 13%.
